Auditory evoked response: a new approach for the evaluation of the unborn fetus.

The authors present their preliminary results observed with sound stimulation of human fetuses, a new approach to the exploration of some brain functions during fetal life, using a behavioural procedure. By applying an adequate auditory stimulus to the abdomen of pregnant women in the last trimester of pregnancy and during labour, they were able to evoke a standard fetal heart rate and motor response. They describe the different patterns observed during labour as a preliminary report of what appears to be a new procedure for evaluation of fetal conditions in normal or abnormal environments.